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Weekly Football News 30 1 12
Weekly Soccer News, January 30, 2012
Wenger: our self-belief is back
Arsene Wenger yesterday admitted that Arsenal's self-belief had been shattered by three consecutive Premier League defeats and that a second-half comeback against Aston Villa in their FA Cup fourth round tie was vital to restoring it.
Arsenal fought back from a two-goal deficit at half-time to book a fifth round trip to the North East - against Sunderland or Middlesbrough - after two Robin van Persie penalties and Theo Walcott's strike salvaged their season.
"When you don't win your belief goes. We lost our last three games in the Premier League so of course your belief is not there, regardless of your history," said Wenger after a pulsating cup tie.
"I was very impressed with the spirit. Coming from a bad period of results and being 2-0 down you can feel sorry for yourself, but the players were very positive at half-time. They didn't give up. I was very proud. They showed they weren't ready to lie down."
The FA Cup fifth round draw in full:
Liverpool v Brighton and Hove Albion
Everton v Blackpool or Sheffield Wednesday
Chelsea v Birmingham City
Crawley Town v Stoke City
Stevenage Borough v Tottenham Hotspur
Norwich City v Leicester City
Sunderland or Middlesbrough v Arsenal
Millwall or Southampton v Bolton Wanderers
"No favourites" in Cup of Nations
After losing their opening fixture at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations against Mali, Guinea got their tournament back on track with a 6-1 drubbing of first-timers Botswana.
The one-sided victory not only sets up a mouth-watering clash with continental heavyweights Ghana on Wednesday but also reopens the debate about the growing status - and competitiveness - of African football.
Guinea's Belgium-based defender Ibrahima Diallo maintained after the win that most teams are now at the same standard.
"Even for the so-called 'small' teams, there are better preparations. Most of the teams playing here in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are at their best, so everyone is more and more on the same level," the 18-year-old insisted.
"When you see a team like Senegal, with so many great strikers, already out of the tournament, you tell yourself that nothing more is certain in football."
"We are a young team, but we believe we can go very far in this competition," added Guinea's Ibrahima Traore, who scored the winner against Nigeria during CAF qualifying that prevented the Super Eagles taking part in the finals.
Hazard eyes Premier League
Lille's Eden Hazard has admitted that he is likely to join one of England's heavyweights this summer.
The 21-year-old Belgian winger has received a mountain of press coverage about a move to the Premier League, but this is the first time he has admitted that a move across the Channel is most likely despite recently signing a long-term contract with Lille.
"After thinking about it, I'm leaning towards England," he told Canal+. "It's a style of play that suits me and it's there that you can learn the most.
"I want to play for a big club, but also one where I will play every week. I've played more than 100 games in Ligue 1 so I would prefer to go abroad. I want to discover something new and playing abroad is a conscious decision."
Matthaus allows 24/7 access
German World Cup winning captain Lothar Matthaus has agreed to let TV cameras into his private life after signing up for a reality TV series.
The 50-year-old former midfielder represented West Germany and Germany at five World Cup finals, although his reputation in his homeland is somewhat mixed.
Matthaus was last in charge of Bulgaria before being sacked last September after failing to qualify for Euro 2012. He has also coached the Hungarian national team as well as club sides in Austria, Brazil, Serbia and Israel.
"I want to show people how I really am. Most people are only familiar with some of the headlines. I think there will be a lot of positive surprises," he said.
Compiled by Marc Fox
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